Of Alphas, Betas, and Love
by siriusconfessions
Summary: Amidst the arrival of Gerard Argent, the discovery of the Kanima, and teenage hormones, Alex McCall is finding that her senior year is going to be anything but ordinary. Derek/OC, Isaac/OC
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **A few notes, first. The timeline of this story does not take place in sophomore year like in the show. We're making them seniors for the sake of minor/Derek issues. However, the situations from S2 will be used in this story with my own ideas incorporated into some of them, as well as other situations for our little wolves to get themselves in trouble with. I know it's very Isaac/OC centric this chapter, but Derek will be equally as important to the story as it progresses more towards the hunting and training, and when the Argents are introduced, appearance of the Kanima, etc. Also, for now, I'm leaving it **Rated T**, although it may be subject to change to **M** (because I'm a perverted minded bastard). There will be fair warnings if it happens, but for now, it's **Rated T**. Hope you guys like it!

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There were very few things that Lydia Martin couldn't do. Luckily for Beacon Hills High School, throwing a memorable party wasn't one of them. There was one for every season, every holiday, and random celebrations for BHHS victories, even for the Chess Club, though no one could ever quite remember to invite them.

After a particularly long, depressing fall semester in Beacon Hills with the increased "animal attack" tragedies, Lydia decided that nothing would welcome spring any better than a chaperon-free pool party hosted by yours truly.

"That is so cruel," Stiles said in awe as he peered over his sunglasses to watch two scantily clad girls playfully wrestling in the pool. Boyd and Scott nodded absently in agreement, mouth unable to form the right words at the sight of the same girls stepping out of the pool hand-in-hand, bodies wet and swimsuits tight.

With a huff, the three of them reclined back into their chairs until Lydia walked towards them, a tray of drinks in her hand.

"But not as cruel as that," Stiles added quickly. He scrambled to his feet to throw an arm over her bare shoulders. "Hey Lydia. Great party."

She eyed him carefully, lips pursed, and shrugged his arm off. "Of course it is." She held the drinks in front of her and offered a cup to each of them. "You guys aren't drinking enough."

"Only because I want to remember this sight for the rest of the week," Stiles replied, gesturing to her body. "As a matter of fact, I want to remember it for the rest of my _life_."

Scott choked on his drink and hid his snicker in the cup as he watched Lydia pet Stiles' cheek with a "You're so sweet" before giving a harder swat and turning on her heel into Jackson's arms.

"One of these days, she's going to wear that bikini in my room, just for me," Stiles sighed. Boyd laughed and pulled him down to a chair.

"You can always find someone that actually likes you."

"At this point, I might act on Erica's year old crush on me if it means I get to have a girl in a bikini in my room."

"Uhm, I don't think you have that privilege anymore." Boyd nodded to a corner where a group of boys gathered around who was presumably Erica.

"Definitely not a privilege anymore," Isaac chuckled, stepping beside them.

The other boys raised their cups in greeting, and he nodded his acknowledgment before sitting down next to Stiles. It had been a long morning; Derek had sent him on four hours worth of errands, probably to keep him away from this party. He had a knack for being a bit overprotective with Isaac, at least more than with the rest of the betas—perhaps because he had no one else to take care of him. Even Peter had taken a fond liking to Isaac and would at times baby him like a son.

It was nice, though, that feeling of being cared for, but in moments like this when Isaac wanted to be a normal teenager, Derek and Peter would act like the overbearing parents who didn't trust him to be in such situations, with alcohol, girls, and peer pressuring classmates. It was ridiculous, Isaac thought, that the rest of the pack could do normal things without an overreacting parent; he can practically hear Derek from five miles north asking, _If the rest of the pack jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?_, and it was all he could do to not groan in frustration.

"Drink?" Stiles offered, holding a bottle out for him. Isaac eyed it and wondered if the stench of alcohol would leave his system by the time he got home. Even if it hadn't, he could tell Derek that it was Stiles' fault, and without a fail, Derek would gladly take it as an opportunity to scare him.

"Sure." This is what being seventeen is supposed to feel like, mind you, eighteen by the end of next month. Careless fun, drinking, pool parties, friends, laughter, all of it. So he leaned back into his chair and enjoyed what the weather and view had to offer. Only a few minutes passed when their foursome welcomed another person.

"I hope you aren't drinking too much. Derek would hate to train a group of pups with a bad hangover tomorrow."

The boys looked up at the shadow over them and found a smiling Alexandria McCall taking a seat beside her brother. Isaac noticeably cleared his throat and straightened himself, unable to glance at her without making obvious just how much she caught his attention.

"A bit overdressed, aren't you, Alex?" Stiles asked with a sly grin.

"Says the boy wearing a tropical shirt straight out of his dad's closet," she mused. "That should be burned, by the way."

Ignoring her comment, Stiles reclined in his chair and sipped from his cup. "A California babe with little motive to walk around half-naked; that's a first."

"I don't know if I'm offended by the stereotype or flattered you think I'm a babe."

"Avoiding my question still, I see. Maybe you're just afraid people will mistake you for a boy," Stiles offered, his lopsided smile giving away his tease.

Alex rolled her eyes and pulled at the hem of her white shore crop top that exposed her midriff and the strings of a purple bikini top under. "Actually, I think this is enough skin baring for now." Isaac was almost tempted to voice his disagreement, but as she stretched her legs in front of her, he was distracted by how long and smooth they looked up till where her shorts stopped high on her thighs. He quickly down casted his gaze; funny, the grass suddenly became interesting.

Scott threw his arms around his sister and said, "That's what I like to hear. And let's keep it that way." A couple of guys walked passed them and visibly laid eyes on Alex, much to Scott's (and Isaac's) annoyance. "Although I have sweats and a towel we can turn into a burka if you'd like."

"Clearly the male population," Stiles started before a girl walked by them, biting her lips with eyes fixed on Alex, "—and apparently the female part of it too—disagrees with you, both of you. We live in a democracy so it's only fair you agree with the majority will." He had that cheeky smile that Beacon Hills had come to associate with Stiles, the one that tugged at his lips when he felt himself winning an argument.

"I might swim in a bit. Calm your horses," Alex laughed. "Why aren't you guys showing off those fantastic lacrosse figures?" She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at them. "I need something to look at while I tan."

"You _do_ need to tan. I don't get how you came out as Casper the Friendly Ghost when you're every bit as Mexican as this one," Stiles said, pointing to Scott.

"Hey!" the McCall twins exclaimed.

"For your information, my fair complexion is something I beginning to like. And I don't think I'm going to take tanning advice from you, Stilinski." Alex exaggerated a sigh and threw her hands up. "Fine, sit here, with your shirts on, away from those group of girls over there who have been eyeing you guys since they got here." Alex bit the inside of her cheek and covered part of her face with her dark chestnut hair as the boys jumped to their feet and shed themselves of their shirts. She counted backwards in her head from five before they went running into that direction.

It was then that she noticed Isaac fiddling with his beer bottle, small smile on his face. She got up to sit next to him and leaned into his taut body. "And why didn't you go?" she asked him.

Isaac cocked his head to the side to look at her. "I like it better over here."

Alex didn't know why she blushed, maybe because Isaac was blushing first, but she pulled away from him and said, "Stacy hasn't stopped looking at you, you know."

"And?" He took a sip from his beer.

"You should talk to her. I told her last week I'd put in a good word for her," Alex said.

"Meh, not really interested," he said simply.

"Well, consider it, Lahey. She's a great catch." It got quiet and it seemed as though Alex was considering something. In the next minute, she stood up and kicked her sandals off. "I'm ready to swim!"

Some kind of holy spirit must have heard his earlier wishes and forbidden thoughts, because the next thing Isaac knows, Alex dragged her top over her head and tossed it to a startled Isaac, and then pushed her shorts down over her round bottom to toss in the same direction. Alex looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Join me?" She tightened the strings of her bikini bottoms and dived into the pool.

Isaac paid little attention to anything else other than Alex being jumped by her friends in the pool. After a few minutes, she lifted herself to sit on the edge, and _God_, Isaac really did try hard to keep his eyes from drifting lower than her neck, but it was really fucking hard. He always found her to be gorgeous; the entire school did. There were days he would go to sleep thinking about her, and like any guy, he would wake up some mornings to those thoughts, and it made things a bit awkward for him to face her without stammering and blushing through a conversation. He had a feeling tonight those thoughts would come creeping into his mind again.

_Well, shit_. Isaac hoped he didn't linger too hard at what was clearly not her face because when he looked back up, he saw her smiling at him, waving and beckoning for him to come over.

He waited a minute for his nerves to calm, and then downed the last contents of his drink. When he looked back to see if Alex was waiting for him, to his surprise, there she was, still sitting and looking at him expectedly while kicking her feet in the water. Isaac released the breath he didn't know he was holding and moved to peel his shirt off. And if he had been paying attention, he would notice the smile on Alex's face when he walked towards her.

Except he didn't notice; he was consumed, instead, with the frightening realization that this girl would be the death of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** I had a little more fun with this chapter. Also, I'll try to update this story once every 2-3 days, since school has started this week. But I'll try to keep up with it and make every chapter longer than the previous to make up for the time between updates. Also, I don't have a beta and I skim through the chapters once because I'm lazy as shit yo. Apologies in advance for grammar mistakes and typos. It's officially become Derek/OC/Isaac centric starting now, so enjoy and let me know what you think!

3

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There were two ways to always tell when Derek was in a bad mood, just downright pissed. It wasn't a scowl or the furrowed eyebrows; it wasn't his angry, unnecessary stomping around the manor; no, those were the usual habits for Derek that meant nothing was wrong that day.

Rather, if Derek was angry, his Alpha would surface immediately. Red eyes looked to kill, claws strong with grip, teeth sharp to pierce the skin—it was a good indication that he would snap the neck of the nearest beating pulse to him.

Or Derek would look calm, which was a rather eerie sight for the pack, to see him leaning against the wall, a small knowing smile on his face, relaxed and just waiting for someone to ask why he hasn't yet started training. Except no one wanted to ever ask the question because it would inevitably lead to being that nearest beating pulse for Derek to snap the neck of.

That was the predicament they faced the early morning after the party. Each beta looked to one another with nervous and unsure eyes as Derek rested by the staircase, staring at them quietly and expectedly. It lasted all of five minutes until Erica took the bait.

"Is everything okay?"

Derek pushed himself off of the stairs and a grin broke across his face. "Funny story, actually." He could hear their breathing get shallower with every passing second, heartbeats steadily increasing. "I was actually sleeping last night, early this morning—maybe around three—when my phone rang." His smile only stretched wider when it had seemed to dawn on the others that Derek was well aware of where they were all of yesterday. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number into. "I didn't get the chance to answer it, but luckily for me, I was left with a voicemail."

"_Derek, my beautiful strong leader Derek. I love you, man. I love you because you're you, and sometimes you suck at being you but you are you, so don't change…being you. Shit—I see Allison—_"

"This isn't happening," Scott groaned into his hand.

"But it gets better!" Derek said with false enthusiasm, putting the volume of his speaker louder. The rest of the pack visibly cringed in discomfort and pity.

"_I love her, Derek. I fucking love her. I sometimes see her in you and you in her. Wait, does that mean I'm attracted to you, too? No, I can totally be attracted to you because you're you and you're attractive as you. Alex says you're attractive all the time, like _all_ the time, especially in her dreams. She sometimes says your name like how Allison says mine when we used to fuc—_"

"Oh my god," Alex gaped from the corner as she tried to hide her deepening blush. Erica's jaw hit the floor, Stiles and Boyd stifled their laughter, and Isaac clenched jaw twitched.

The smile dropped almost comically from Derek's face and was quickly replaced with a dangerous growl.

"You should hear the rest," he said, eyes snapping to Scott. "All twenty-three of them."

Scott raised his hands defensively. "I swear I don't even remember drinking that much!"

Derek grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close. "We just found out Gerard is controlling Jackson and my betas are acting like teenagers!"

"Because we _are_ teenagers," Isaac quipped with a testy eye roll. Derek fixed a heated glare at Isaac, and then let Scott go.

"You four," he said, pointing to Erica, Boyd, Isaac, and Scott. "Peter is waiting for you outside." He waited for the werewolves to leave to address Stiles. "Bring me Argent's files from your dad's office. Pick up food on your way back."

"So you just want me to go into steal huge manila folders from the sheriff and walk out undetected? Sounds plausible," Stiles replied, hands on his hips. "Seriously dude, try giving me something that won't end in a bad ear pull and lecture from my dad."

"Would you rather get your heart pulled by me or an ear pulled from your dad?" Derek threatened, stepping towards him.

"Fair point. I'll go now," Stiles answered, nearly running out of the house.

Derek turned a cold stare to Alex who pretended to be busy with her nails. She really didn't want to talk to him right now, not after Scott's stupid drunken phone call about her dreams and—oh geez. That was so private. How had he even known? She would kill Scott if Derek didn't get to him sooner.

And it wasn't like her attraction to Derek was a secret. It wasn't; they all knew Alex has had eyes for him since they were introduced. But it had grown past the physical draw and she found herself genuinely liking him. If asked, she couldn't explain why she had fallen for an antisocial twenty-two year old werewolf; she just did.

Derek, however, had made it clear since the beginning that nothing would come out of her 'school girl crush' on him. Absolutely nothing, and he had made well on his promise so far.

"You're supposed to be watching them," Derek told her. Alex gave silent thanks for the bypass of Scott's admittance. He continued, "For someone who takes so much pride in being the brains of the bunch, you're doing a shit job."

She rolled her eyes. "I told them not to drink. How can I control what they can and can't do? I'm 5'7 and 125 pounds. Does it look like I put the fear into a group of werewolves?" Alex stood to him but almost drew her eyes down under his challenging and intimidating ones. "And in case you haven't noticed, my brains have kept all of you out of trouble for years now. Shit job is a bit of an overstatement, no?"

Derek glowered at her, nostrils flared, and he can feel himself getting angry again. Alex could never take the hint, could she? He wanted to make her feel like shit, to scare her away from him, but she kept her feet firmly planted in his life.

He didn't know why she bothered. It was Alex who nursed his injuries, who would tell him to rest, that she would think of a new plan until he was less exhausted. She would even insist on watching the pack during the full moon though painfully aware of how dangerous it was.

Derek could always hear Scott and Stiles arguing with her, trying to convince her that Derek couldn't care less about her and she was always putting her life on the line for a guy who didn't want or need her too; and they were right.

For the most part.

But Derek didn't really want to think about that right now, not with Alex looking up at him with her big doe eyes and annoying pout. To be honest, 'for the most part' was something he didn't to want think about ever because that would mean there was a remote possibility, the smallest window of chances that he was opening the door for returning her feelings, either romantically, physically, or platonically; the idea that he _could_ care for this ridiculous eighteen year old girl scared the absolute shit out of him and he wanted nothing of it.

"The next time this happens, it falls on your shoulders," he sneered as he walked past her and bumped her shoulder, making Alex stumble back.

Alex glared after him, rubbing the now sore spot and mumbling about the asshole Derek was being.

She understood that Derek would never like her as much as she liked him. Hell, if she could get him to smile even once at her, a genuine smile, she would die a happy person. There were a few times that she wondered if she could love him, but he made it impossible for her to secretly wish it were true.

With a heavy sigh, she followed after him outside. Alex saw Scott and Boyd running through the woods, blindfolds over their eyes and noses in the air presumably to track Peter. It had become a common training tactic to trace either Peter or Derek in the large diameter of woods after they have masked their scent. It was supposedly to improve the betas three weaker senses, as smelling and sight were naturally strong areas for werewolves.

Erica began a spar with Derek and was thrown carelessly around in various directions. Derek was yelling at her to do something new, and every time she charged towards him, he looked bored to his bones and lifted her easily off the ground.

Isaac waited by the porch for Derek to call him and he seemed mildly distracted. His arms were crossed on his chest and his head fell back onto the wooden column.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Alex asked, sitting on the railing beside him. He startled and his mouth shifted into an uncomfortable smile.

"Nice talk with Derek?" he replied tensely.

"You guys heard everything, didn't you?" She kicked her feet in front of her and suddenly felt small. She didn't need to be a werewolf with sharp senses to know how everyone else felt about the situation: it was awkward, pitiful, and a pointless schoolgirl crush that should never have started in the first place.

With a curt nod, Isaac sunk against the post. Minutes were passed in silence.

"Does he hate me as much as he acts he does?" Alex asked in a voice so quiet, Isaac had to strain his ear to hear. He merely shrugged.

"Derek is really good at covering himself. His heartbeat is always steady no matter the situation, he keeps his emotions consistent—so I can't tell if he hates you," Isaac answered. He could feel her heart drop and beat with a slow heavy rhythm, like her worst suspicions were confirmed, and it made his own heart hurt. Then a smile tugged at his lips unexpectedly as he mused too loudly, "But I somehow find it hard to believe. You're easy to like."

A pretty blush spread over Alex's cheeks, and if Isaac could slap himself dead right now, he would. He hadn't meant to actually speak those words, but in the moment, he could imagine her mind convincing her that she was the problem, not Derek.

When the pack, sans the Alpha, would get together at the McCalls' or on the beach, maybe Erica's house if her parents were gone for the weekend, they indulged in light drinking. After a couple of sips, Alex would get tipsy, understandable for a girl whose body treats alcohol as a rare substance. However, in her state, she would mutter words of self-hatred under her breath, completely unaware of how uncomfortable the werewolves become having heard everything.

It was always _You're going to be nothing_ and _The problem is you, no one else_. Stiles had started making sense of her moving lips too.

The next morning would come and go to Alex like she hadn't remembered her words from the previous night, though they were aware that wasn't necessarily true. She walked down the school hallways greeting everyone with a good morning and good afternoon with the brightest, most beautiful smile on her face. And her classmates would return her greetings being completely unaware that her brain was eating away at her.

Isaac was not at all okay with it.

Luckily for Isaac, Alex hadn't pestered him into explaining. She instead said with a teasing voice, "Yeah, well you're easier to like."

Isaac looked back at her, blinking and flushed, the surprise evident on his face. Now he wanted _her_ to explain what she had meant, but Derek's sharp tone cut him off.

"Isaac! You're turn, now," he forced through clenched teeth. His eyes narrowed at Isaac as he came running.

Derek heard their conversation, he could sense the array of emotions between Alex and Isaac that colored the thoughts they dared not share, and it bothered him. It fucking bothered him for no reason that they were flirting (poorly, at that) like two junior high students.

And if Derek pushed Isaac too roughly against the trees or tossed him too high into the air as he landed hard on the dry ground, it had nothing to do with Alex. He just needed Isaac to be strong and grow tolerance for pain.

And if Derek scratched a little too much or twisted Isaac's arm too crudely, enough to break plenty bones, it wasn't because of the conversation that replayed in his head about which one of them were easier to like (quite frankly, they were equally as shitty right now, Derek noted gruffly).

No, Derek Hale was in no way, shape, or form affected by Isaac's stupid love for Alex and especially not of Alex's growing crush on Isaac. Absolutely not.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'm a terrible person. I know! I meant to update this last week but I was out of town for a few days and never got the chance. My sincerest apologies but updates will be regular from now on. As a token of how sorry I am about the wait, have an extra 1k words this chapter! Hope you like it!**

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Alex sat by Stiles on the steps of the porch, watching Derek bark at his pack to work harder.

His anger seemed to be directed mostly at Scott and Isaac. It was rather odd; Scott she could understand. His stupidity deserved those extra bruises he was certain to have in a few hours. Seeing Derek toss Isaac around carelessly without helping him back up was rather unusual, however. Isaac was used to being babied, especially by Derek who took extra care to make sure he wasn't too rough with him, so he didn't trigger memories from Isaac's past. And now, as Alex and Stiles watched on, Isaac winced in pain with Derek charging right towards him.

Alex would normally interfere at the point when Derek was too hard on his betas and asked for an end to training for lunch or dinner. Today didn't seem like the day to interrupt. Derek was already annoyed with her and Scott, and there was only so much McCall madness he could take before he snapped and made training worse.

Plus, he was probably trying to scare Isaac away from any future parties. Alex had no say in that matter, even if she did think Derek was a bit dramatic.

He needed to think less and play more. Alex would joke with him that those frowns would cause permanent damage to his pretty face one day, to which Derek responded by deepening his frown.

And that was the frown she wanted to erase from his face. But he was stubborn and unreceptive to happiness. Despite Scott's recent revelations, Alex's dreams were all about being naked under Derek. In fact, those ones came rare and few to her other dreams about him smiling, just smiling, because things were simple, because he wanted to; whether at Scott, or Erica, even to himself, he would smile and laugh. They were the best dreams, though only dreams. Alex can't remember the last time Derek actually laughed—it had been far too long—but the sound of it was infectious to her memory, and if it sounded that beautiful in her mind, then she was sure it was even better in reality. Thus, she made little jokes and quirky comments to win the smallest of chuckles from him.

It hardly ever worked, at least not for Alex, she thought bitterly, resting her head against Stiles' shoulder.

If ever the world birthed a more impossible character than Derek Hale, she would resign from being a living citizen of the universe, because he was enough to deal with for the time being and the century following.

Derek shot her an accusatory glare as though he could hear her thoughts. Alex stuck her tongue out and scowled at him, to which he responded by snarling and resuming his previous yelling.

"I don't get it. Is it the whole bad boy, mysterious, asshole thing you like?" Stiles asked. Alex blinked up at him curiously.

Maybe it was, but she knew she was more than just physically attracted to him. She wanted to know his story, ease his pains and worries, be his anchor; Alex wanted the side of Derek no one else got to see, and not for bragging rights.

"Yes," she answered simply. "But there's another pull."

Alex had her own secrets and insecurities. She didn't necessarily believe herself to be a weak person, just someone who needed an extra push in life once in a while when she was alone. Sure, she had Scott and her mom, but the nights she spent long hours holding herself and crying to sleep trying to forget Kevin's haunting words, they weren't there. Her mother spent her day at the hospital working random, too long hour shifts, and Scott wasn't worried about her, not at home where he believed her to be safe. He would be running with the wolves or looking after Allison from her bedside window.

She wanted someone like that, who would be there when she didn't ask him to be or know him to be. She wanted to feel safe, to feel like she was worth something. It was only three years ago her relationship had ended with Kevin—ended badly at that. He had made her feel so disposable and reminded her every night how much of a burden she was, that she wasn't being a saint just because she kept her legs closed. It made her a prude and undateable, that she was no one special to be waited for; and until she decided she would give him what he wanted, he would have other girls doing what she was supposed to do.

Alex fought the tears brimming through her dark lashes and instead thought of Derek, who was undoubtedly a strong, protective person. And she wanted him there for her when he could sense her troubles.

Kind of like how Isaac had done earlier. _You're easy to like_, he had said. Those words were exactly what she needed to hear, and he had told them to her with genuine conviction that she couldn't argue with. To know he had meant it was a feeling she wanted to always have, not doubtful thoughts of whether people tell her things to be nice or having actually meant them.

"You have awful taste in men," Stiles said finally, resting his head on top of Alex's. "Like really awful. If he isn't a douche of a lacrosse player like Kevin, then he's a douche of a psycho werewolf like Derek. What happened to dating the good guys who are normal and, you know, actually care about you?"

Alex swatted his arm and pouted. "They tend to be less hot."

Stiles snorted then asked, "So Isaac is less than hot to you?"

She cocked her eyebrow at him. "Who said anything about Isaac?"

The pack began to move further into the woods under Peter's instructions, and Stiles waited for them to be deep enough into the woods before he started speaking again, though he didn't fail to notice Isaac's suspicious gaze between the two as they parted.

"What was going on yesterday at Lydia's?"

Again, Alex just stared and waited for him to elaborate.

Stiles rolled his eyes and huffed. "You were putting on quite the show for our entire class. The way you guys leaned towards each other to whisper something, or how his hand was practically glued to your hip the entire night. You were smiling the whole time."

Was that what had happened? Alex only remembered that Isaac was being a good friend and keeping her company when she had asked him to join her. She knew everyone else would be busy partying with their own friends and scoping fling potentials. Isaac had insisted that he wasn't interested when she had introduced him to a number of fine women throughout the day, and she certainly didn't complain that he stuck by her as she wandered around the minibar, the pool, and dance floor; although now that she thought about it, his hand _had_ been glued to her for the time remaining.

But they didn't mean to cause a scene or put on a show for anyone, as Stiles had hinted. She didn't want to give anyone the impression that she and Isaac were interested in one another, mainly Derek. He was already not interested in her and finding out that she and his adoptive brother were testing some sort of relationship would kill any and all chances left.

"We were friends enjoying the other's company," Alex explained with nudge.

Stiles nudged back. "Yeah, well friends don't make those obnoxiously dovey puppy love eyes or smile suggestively after everything they whisper or touch each other subtly or any of that."

They were definitely not making eyes. Alex was only figuring out what shade of blue Isaac's eyes were. She discovered them to be a gorgeous sky blue color. And they were in no way smiling "suggestively" after everything said, although her heart did jump three feet into the air when he mentioned he was a skilled performer with great endurance that let him go for hours, but that he had quite the dirty, talented tongue. Then, of course, after a few (possibly maybe potentially suggestive) flirty exchanges, they agreed that lacrosse was a great sport for Isaac's abilities, though the refs did not appreciate his mouthing off during games. Alex really wanted to laugh at Stiles' assumption that she and Isaac were touching each other. If anything, Alex wanted to see if Isaac lived to the hype of the gossiping girls in the bathrooms. It should be offhandedly noted that she was not disappointed by how great the long lines of his taut body felt under her fingers.

There were the moments she would catch herself staring at him and get a mix of emotions that had really ever happened with Kevin and Derek. But that didn't mean anything. She just really enjoyed being around him and he seemed to like being around her. As friends. Nothing more.

"We're friends, Stiles," Alex shrugged.

She saw the wolves running back to the house and she felt those fluttering feelings again from last night when her eyes landed on Isaac.

Stiles followed her line of sight and snapped his fingers in the air exclaiming, "There! That's it! You're making those eyes again."

Alex ignored him and stood up to greet the rest. "Well, I hope you're done now. Food is near cold. Thank you, Derek, for keeping us longer than necessary."

"We have to be ready for when Jackson attacks. We know little about the Kanima and I don't want him pulling the rug from under our feet," Derek drawled, eyes challenging her to argue.

Alex narrowed her eyes at his condescending tone. "And then what happens when you collapse from exhaustion because you're training too hard?"

Derek stepped closer to her, annoyance evident on his face. The nerve of this girl. "I'm not going to collapse from exhaustion so stop worrying about me."

"You make it really hard to not worry about you because of your lame tactical style of planning. You fight first, and then think. That's stupid," Alex gritted.

There was a moment of silence. Alex and Derek glared holes into each other, nostrils flared and faces only inches apart. Derek was the first to break eye contact as his eyes flickered down to her lips.

It must have been that time of the month again. He can feel his wolf claw at him to push himself a little further.

Derek growled to himself and looked back up at Alex whose face had visibly softened. She reached to take his hand and held it while she said, "I want you to be healthy when taking on Gerard and Jackson, all of you. You can't do that if you're training 5 hours a day, 6 times a week without proper breaks."

Derek glanced down at their joined hands and noticed how small and warm hers felt against his. It was oddly comforting and his Alpha stresses seemed nonexistent with her cradling him in the palm of her hands.

He pulled his arm back, realizing how long he let himself linger in thoughts of how at ease Alex made him feel.

"I don't need you mothering me, or any of us," he said and walked past her.

She almost screamed after him to stop resisting her help, but a heavy weight fell around her shoulders.

"Just forget him. You can mother me as much as you want if it means less training," Scott joked and guided them inside.

"Also, if you could convince him to get a massage table in the living room, I will gladly hand you my birth rights," Erica groaned as she rolled her neck around.

Alex waited for Erica to take a seat at the island counter in the kitchen, and then walked behind her, pulled her long blond hair to the side and pressed her testing fingers against her shoulders.

"Let me see if I can do anything until that hell freezes over and Derek listens to me." Her fingers worked deep into Erica's neck and Erica let out another small groan, except in pleasure this time.

"Your fingers are a fucking God-send."

"I call next!" Scott shouted, nearly dropping his boxed burrito to shoot his arm in the air and wave it.

"No way. I have more bruises than you do this time," Boyd argued, taking an eager seat beside Erica.

Scott pouted and sat across from them. "But she's my sister."

"Exactly. So you get to take her home with you," Boyd reasoned with a mouthful of food.

"Alright, alright. There's enough of me to go around," Alex laughed as she worked another knot in Erica's neck. When she looked around the room, her eyebrows knitted at Isaac's much noticed absence.

"Don't worry about Derek," Peter said with a sympathetic smile. "He's waiting for you to leave before he eats and rests. He doesn't want you to think you're right but it always happens."

"Oh." Alex didn't know which part surprised her, the fact that Derek actually considered her words despite their constant bickering and his apparent disdain for her or that she hadn't even thought of him because her mind was on Isaac.

"Pretty sure it's not Derek she's looking for," Stiles implied, his eyes fixed on Alex, clearly dancing in victory and screaming 'I told you so'.

Alex scowled and avoided the curious stares she was getting from the others.

"Uhm, I think I'm going to get Isaac and Derek," she said quickly, then excused herself.

She reached the top of the stairs and contemplated who she should approach first, and it seemed so silly to her that amidst every thing happening with the Argents, Jackson, and senior year, that this was the biggest problem she was having—dealing with newfound and confusing feelings for Isaac and trying to care for Derek who had no intentions of being taken care of.

Isaac would be easier to deal with right now, and after she sent him down to eat, she could deal with Derek in peace.

Alex took a deep breath and walked to Isaac's room. The door was left half open so she knocked to announce her presence and entered.

"Hey, Isaac. I didn't see—" she started but trailed off when Isaac stood in his closet with a loose towel hanging from his waist, hair wet and sticking to his face. He looked up at her with a boyish smile, waiting for her to finish her sentence.

She had seen plenty of boys shirtless. Hell, Scott refused to wear one at home and she was at a pool party just yesterday. But none quite had the effect Isaac was having on her now.

What a difference 24 hours made because she was definitely not experiencing the heat in sensitive places when she was with a shirtless Isaac yesterday. It was like they both realized the implications of yesterday sense the tension and a lot more than friendship dangled between them now.

Once she was sure she found her voice, she stopped her eyes from running over his tall, lean physique and cleared her throat.

"I didn't see you in the kitchen. You should probably eat so you don't, you know—" she gestured awkwardly to his body and felt her mouth to dry again. "—mess all of that up."

Isaac could see the tips of her ears turn the brightest shade of red and he couldn't help the laugh that escaped. Alex didn't even mean to be as adorable as she was being right now.

He gave her a nod and turned back to his closet to pull out a shirt. "Got it. I'll be down in a second."

He saw that she kept her eyes focused on one particular spot, _that_ spot. The spot that will forever be marred by his father. On his shoulder, there was a thick scar that had irreversible tissue damage. It happened nights before he turned to Derek. His father had pushed him too hard against an open blade in the basement. And he hated it was there

It was the only physical reminder that his life was tainted with violence and he was weak, that the bite he accepted was an excuse to not stand up to his father.

"I, uhm, I should get Derek now," Alex announced. His head dropped in shame as he nodded. He heard her footsteps start seconds later.

Isaac shrugged his shirt on, and then pressed his palm to his scar. Alex must have thought it was ugly and was absolutely repulsed by it. Of course she was. She didn't want someone who had to carry the dead weight of his past ghosts like that. She didn't deserve to be burdened with more than what she already was.

Isaac sighed and finished dressing. He was walking down the hall and saw Alex knocking impatiently on Derek's door. He frowned at the effort she was putting into her relationship with Derek. His Alpha could deny and bitch all he wanted, but he did have some sort of relationship with her. Derek did take to heart what Alex had to say and, on the rare occasion, would call her the 'brains' of their pack. They argued whenever they got the chance. It had become a familiar routine like bad cop-good cop. Derek would push his pack to the point beyond pain and Alex would find a way to alleviate the pain for them.

When Derek finally opened the door, Isaac began walking down. Derek looked murderous and though he hated to think Alex would be alone with him during this state, he knew she could deal with him better than anyone else in the house.

"Haven't I seen enough of you today?" Derek sneered. He leaned against the doorframe and peered down at Alex.

Alex willed herself to ignore how wonderful his exposed arms looked across his chest, and how easy it would be for him to hold her up against the wall and—

"You need to eat," she blurted and met his eyes finally, though she wished she hadn't because he was smirking at her and studying her flushed face.

Derek found her easy to read. His ability to sense others had become hypersensitive since he became the Alpha, and Alex was an open book for him. She didn't mask how she felt; she, as the old cliché went, wore her heart on her sleeve. His pack could tell when something was different with her, but they couldn't feel what he could. He knew when she was happy, determined, fearful, insecure, disappointed, even excited, which is what she was now.

_Well, at least parts of her were excited_, Derek though smugly.

"I'm not hungry," he said. He made to close the door but she pushed past him and flopped onto his bed. Derek's eyes narrowed to slits at Alex who was face down on his bed.

"I'm sorry, okay?" she mumbled into his sheets. She shifted her hips and Derek's eyes were immediately drawn to the curve of her ass outlined too tightly in her jeans, and her shirt had lifted a little, exposing the creamy flesh of her hips and lower back.

Derek did not want her there. He wanted her nowhere near his bed or his bedroom, as a matter of fact. She was crossing dangerous territory by literally laying herself out for him like that.

Alex turned on her back and looked up at him, biting her lip pleadingly. "I shouldn't have gotten upset earlier. You know I worry even if you ask me not to." She sat up and her head bowed.

Derek clenched and unclenched his fists slowly to get himself under control.

"Fine. I get it. Now leave," he ordered.

Alex wanted to hug him because he seemed normal again which meant he wasn't angry about her outburst earlier. The idea quickly turned her off when she realized that normal Derek behavior to her meant him brooding and kicking her out of his room.

Rude.

Alex headed towards the door, but remembered Erica's request. "By the way, I've been meaning to talk to you about getting a massage table for the house. Me and Stiles can have your team in top notch shape with one of those around."

Derek glared at her and pointed at the door. "Out."

Alex suppressed insulting him. She clicked her tongue instead and said, "Fine. I'm leaving. It's late and Scott has early lacrosse practice. Goodnight, D."

Really, Derek couldn't help it. He wanted to let her go off and be elsewhere, anywhere except looking at him with hopeful eyes. He bit the inside of his cheek and remained casual as he took off his tank top. He could see her eyes widen and trying to look at anything except him. He walked to her and she stumbled into the hallway.

"I have pushups to do, so you're more than welcomed to leave. You know your way out. Goodnight and sweet dreams," he said with a faint smirk on his lips before closing the door.

He was consumed by her radiating shock and embarrassment from behind the door. He allowed himself to smile in the security of his own room at how angrily she stomped downstairs. He waited until he heard her and Scott bid their farewells and the car engine to start.

Derek then found his food waiting on the counter with his name written on the box in Alex's neat print. He shook his head and took it upstairs to eat while figuring out where the hell he could find a massage table.

* * *

**P.S. In case this chapter didn't clear anything up, Stiles and Alex are not werewolves and Jackson is still the Kanima under Gerard. The new pack of Alphas haven't come into the storyline yet but I have a big role for them to fill as we get deeper into the actual storyline. **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Wrote this one in a bit of a hurry so grammar mistakes and typos...I'm sorry for them.

:(

Also, I've been getting PMs for pictures of who I imagine as Alex and all that. I don't know how I feel about that, mainly because I don't want to ruin anyone's imagination or anything, but if you guys do want that, just let me know and I'll get those up for you.

* * *

Mondays were underrated. Really.

Sure, it was the first day of a long school week but it provided the opportunity to start that week off right; unfortunately for Alex, her Monday morning hadn't been ideal. She had gotten no sleep the night before, her coffee had spilled on her favorite outfit, and then she changed into a floral blue sundress that she didn't have time to iron because Stiles was honking his horn annoyingly. Her first two classes hadn't been any better. Normally, Alex would be ready for a pop quiz and have her homework prepared neatly in a folder for that designated class, but when Mr. Childs had surprised her AP European History class with an 8am quiz, she panicked; and when she realized she had left her Calculus homework in her Calculus notebook that was accidentally forgotten on her computer desk, Ms. Whitfield excused her "just this once" and expected it first thing tomorrow morning. During her ten-minute break before her next class, Alex had found herself to be on the wrong side of Greenberg's prank that was meant for Jackson. She had taken a hard landing on several dozen marbles, which Greenberg had apologized non-stop for. Despite her aching tailbone, Alex waved him off and assured him that it wasn't as bad as it had looked. Needless to say that when Scott had walked by and saw Alex embracing Greenberg's hug, he pushed the other boy away and threw his sweater over Alex's shoulders.

It had finally come to third period, AP French. She walked into the class, refusing to let the bad day faze her. She ran a hand through her thick waves of chocolate colored hair and greeted the other students. Then her eyes landed on Isaac, who was reading from their assigned French literature.

Alex internally groaned. How had she forgotten he was in this class? She spent half of her sleepless night trying very desperately to not think about him.

Just as she had moved towards the closest empty chair, Isaac looked up and gave her a shy smile. Alex couldn't help but to smile back. That boy needed to smile more because it was contagious.

She could feel his eyes on her as she took the seat in front of him. It caused the fine hairs of her back to send a chilling sensation down her spine, and her shudder must have been obvious because Isaac was chuckling to himself.

"Good morning," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Morning," Alex mumbled back, pretending to be occupied with her French book.

"You smell…unusual."

Alex snorted and shook her head. "Thanks. That makes my day a whole lot better."

Isaac's eyebrows furrowed as he took another sniff. "Is that—is that Greenberg?"

"Yup."

"Oh. I didn't realize you two were acquainted so well." He sounded upset, disappointed, and…hurt, maybe? But Alex wasn't going to take offense to the implications of his words or defend herself either. She had enough crap piled onto her plate for one day. She scowled and buried her nose into the book that she had little care for right now.

Even with her back to him, she knew he was watching her, observing and wondering why her appearance seemed frazzled and disorganized. Not that she cared or anything what he thought, but she didn't want him to see her looking and feeling so unlike herself.

"You look nice today."

Okay, she was definitely not expecting him to say that. And the sincerity of his voice made her turn around and stare at him dumbfound.

"Really?"

"Really."

A smile spread across her face and he looked pretty pleased with himself.

"You must have no standards for what looks good and what doesn't," she joked before turning back, earning her a laugh from Isaac.

Alex settled back into her chair and began thinking that maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

The door opened and their teacher walked in. "Bonjour, mes ch_é_ris," Mrs. Lamay greeted. "As you all should be aware, we are supposed to have our chapter exam today."

Alex's face dropped. Shit. She completely forgot. Could she have been anymore irresponsible? She could hear her mother lecturing her for neglecting her schoolwork in favor of going out with Scott and Stiles the past weekend. Not her fault that Jackson was Gerard Argent's active killing pet who already had the blood of five people on his hands, and he didn't even know he was doing it.

Scott had decided that it was best to act normal around Jackson and Lydia, who was also acting particularly strange.

It was hard to ignore everything Jackson was when they were at school. Everyone took turns keeping an he on him during the day. He was harder to track at night, especially when Gerard was sending him to every corner of Beacon Hills to do his dirty work.

All that drama was enough to keep a teenage girl occupied without the worries of schoolwork, college acceptances, and maintaining a normal life.

So Alex was finding it hard to study for stupid French exams with the few minutes she had to herself.

But still. Shit. She didn't study.

Alex was ready to pull her hair out when Mrs. Lamay added, "But it's Monday and I know how sluggish your minds work before noon. Be prepared to take it tomorrow."

Alex exhaled a huge sigh of relief and looked over shoulder at Isaac, who matched her smile.

"I'm glad she broke that news before your heart gave out," he teased.

"Yeah, yeah. You think you're so cute because of your freaky wolfy abilities," Alex said, rolling her eyes.

His smile became a smirk and his eyes danced mischievously as he leaned forward. "Do you think it makes me cute?"

Alex blinked at him, a deep blush finding her face. How could she tell him yes without embarrassing either of them?

"I..uhm...you're...well—"

"Miss McCall and Mr. Lahey, please pay attention before I regret partnering you two," Mrs. Lamay scolded.

"Sorry," Alex muttered and sank into her seat.

"Now, as I was saying, we'll be working in pairs for a group assignment instead. You'll be responsible for formulating an argument for _L'__É__tranger_ and its ultimate theme. Listen for your name and partner." Mrs. Lamay called out the names, and as promised, she paired Isaac and Alex together. Alex was praying Isaac wouldn't ask her his question again.

"She somehow thought putting us together would be a good idea," Isaac said when she moved her seat beside him.

"Terrible idea, I agree. We're trouble," Alex laughed.

"We could be a good thing, though," he hummed absently. Alex cocked her head curiously, and he quickly scrambled to say, "As trouble I mean. Trouble can be good thing. Not we." Isaac saw her grow more confused and continued to we. "But we can be good too. You know, if you're into that...not that I am. Although I'm not opposed to it. We could be fun whenever."

"Isaac, what are you talking about?" Alex asked, trying to suppress her giggles. She really didn't know what the heck he was talking about but it was fun seeing him flustered about it.

How he could go from a shy lacrosse player to a smirking, confident werewolf to a dorky, stammering teenager amused her to no ends.

"You're enjoying this too much," Isaac scowled. "Anyway, you're coming tonight?"

"Do I ever miss training? You guys would be broken bones without me there."

"Our broken bones heal, sweetheart," Isaac told her. Ah, there was her little werewolf talking.

Wait, _her _werewolf? When had Isaac become _her _werewolf?

"Erm, right."

Isaac frowned. "You okay?"

Alex nodded and pulled out her folder, unable to meet Isaac's concerned eyes. "Yeah. We should probably get started though, right?"

Isaac had made efforts after that to get Alex to tell him what was wrong. He could tell she was lying, if not by the beat of her heart, then by the way she avoided looking at him and even moved her chair a few inches to the right away from him.

They were almost through with their assignment when Alex felt her phone vibrate by her feet.

_**Scott**__: dont panic but attack at the library b/c of jackson. me and stiles are after him._

Alex huffed in frustration and typed furiously at her phone.

_**Alex: **__You can't take him alone! I hope you told Derek and you had better keep me updated on what's going on. Be safe, please. _

"Everything okay?" Isaac tried again.

"Jackson had another attack at the library. Tweedledee and Tweedledum thought it would be a smart plan to chase after him by themselves. On top of everything, I'm left without a ride afterschool," she confessed with a pout.

Isaac had an urge to run his thumb over her bottom lip, just to see if it had felt as soft under his skin as it looked to eyes. But he gained focus again and cleared his throat to speak.

"Well, Scott and Stiles haven't exactly been the mastermind of rationality, have they? Derek will find them. And Scott won't let anything happen to Jackson when they find him," Isaac assured. Alex's pout was disappearing as she peered up at him through her long lashes, eyes wide and hopeful. Isaac had momentarily lost his words from how she looked at him. He glanced down at his fingers to regain some composure. "Uh, i-if you want, you can come back with me, Erica, and Boyd to the manor."

"That sounds like a good enough plan to me."

They exchanged casual conversation about the assignment throughout the remainder of the class period. When the bell rang, they turned in their analysis and bid farewell until the end of the day.

It had seem with the snap of a finger that Alex's Monday wasn't too bad anymore. Oddly enough, she remembered that it started with Isaac simply telling her that she looked nice. Then Mrs. Lamay postponed the French exam. During lunch, she was offered an extra slice of pizza (very cheesy, greasy, and delicious, which she gladly accepted, thank you very much). She had sat alone at a table, intending on eating quickly to call check on Scott, but not a minute later did she find that her table flooded with jocks and cheerleaders calling for her attention. After she had greeted and chatted briefly with each one, she called Scott only for his phone to be answered by Derek.

Alex had braced herself for Derek's snappy words, telling her to stay out of their business and to deal with her girly issues. But instead she got, "We're trying to track Jackson but Gerard is making it difficult. Look, just stay at the house, okay? It's safest there."

Her day really had been getting better, because even after they began fighting when he had practically ordered her to go to his house since she was incapable of defending herself (to which she rolled her eyes and argued with), she remembered that Derek freakin' Hale cared about her safety. That, Alex noted proudly, is progress.

And if she walked around with hearts in her eyes for the rest of the day, sue her.

It had finally reached the end of her day and she was ready to leave to the Hale Manor. But Erica, Isaac, and Boyd were nowhere to be found. The school was getting closer and closer to being near empty.

Maybe they had left her already, Alex thought sadly. She walked the hallways and searched every corner and classroom. It was only 4 o'clock, but the school was eerily quiet. It probably had to do with getting rid of the Monday blues as soon as possible so everyone scattered home.

But her friends wouldn't just leave her at school by herself, would they? They knew she didn't have a ride, or at least she hoped Isaac remembered to tell Boyd and Erica that bit of information.

Alex sighed and turned one more corner before she heard Erica's worried voice echo through the halls.

"Alex!" Her voice was growing closer.

"Erica?" Alex called back, looking around for a blond head. Erica into full view after a couple of seconds, running towards her frantically.

"We have to go now," Erica said, pulling Alex by her wrist in the direction she came from. Alex tried not to topple over as Erica dragged her.

"What's going on?" Now Alex was beginning to worry. She pulled her wrist free from Erica. "Where is everyone and where are we going?"

"We don't have time for this. I'll explain on the way—"

"Erica…"

"Jackson is here," Erica said seriously. "And so is Argent. We need to leave now."

The panic was beginning to set with Alex, and Erica could see it. Before Alex could start with more questions, Erica grabbed for her arm and began running again. They had reached the main doors of the school, but when Erica pushed and pulled against them, they wouldn't open.

"It's locked. We have to find another way."

Erica led them to the other end of the school, and yet again, the doors were locked. No matter how hard she punched and tugged at it, it wouldn't open.

"Wait, where are Isaac and Boyd?" Alex began with deep breaths. "And Stiles? Where is Derek? Is he okay? And Scott? Where is Scott? I haven't talked to him since the morning and Derek wouldn't let me talk to him—"

"Alex, calm down! They're finding Jackson. Our only job is to get out of here," Erica explained. The static of an itchy microphone came from the intercom planted into every hall interrupted them.

"_Good afternoon, students."_

That voice sent an unpleasant shudder down Alex's spine. It was like nails on a chalkboard and it belonged to only one person.

"_This is the principal speaking. Lately we have had a few, shall we say, troublemakers in Beacon Hill, and I'm not too happy about this. I can assure you by the end of the night, they will no longer be a problem. Have a good day,_" Gerard's voice drawled. "_Because it's going to be your last."_

Alex and Erica exchanged a nervous glance as the intercom shut off. Another screechy, inhuman cry sounded throughout the school. And Alex knew just what it was.

"We have to hide," Erica warned, sparing a last desperate look at Alex. "Jackson is ready to attack."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Oh, hey look! An update! **

**P.S. Would also love to thank you for your reviews, story alerts/favorites, and PMs. They mean so much to me so thank you!**

* * *

Would Jackson rip her head off first or would he drag out her death? Would he do it in front of everyone? Would she die in front of Scott? An array of questions flooded Alex's mind and she couldn't find the power to move her legs despite Erica's yelling.

"Alex, we have to go! C'mon," Erica shouted, finally tugging on her wrist and pulling Alex through the hallways.

They needed to hide in an empty classroom or bathroom, not that it would keep them safe from the Kanima. It would only buy them a few minutes if Jackson wasn't caught by then, and Erica was praying that those few minutes were enough for Derek to make his move. She pushed every door that came in their way and found them to all be locked.

An ear-piercing cry echoed through the halls again, startling both her and Alex. Erica saw that Alex was frozen in her place again, and quite frankly, Erica was getting tired from dragging her around. She needed to do something to ignite Alex's fire again, and she needed to do it fast.

Erica turned Alex's unresponsive body towards her and began shaking her. "Focus, okay? Everything is going to be okay. You've been in graver situations, and I need you to pull yourself together."

Alex simply blinked at Erica, making the other girl sigh in near defeat.

"Alex, we're going to be fine. Derek and Scott are going to find Jackson and they'll come to save us," Erica tried but Alex just pulled out of her grasp. This is not the same girl who goes head-to-head with all things evil in Beacon Hills, who puts Derek 'the Alpha' Hale in his place when he gets power hungry, who is the most rational person in the pack. Erica was ready to throw her over her own shoulders, not wanting to deal with having to drag Alex to a safe spot.

But in an instant, the lights behind Alex's eyes seem to light up in realization and she said, "No one needs to save us. I think the pool is open."

They ran as fast as they could towards the pool, Jackson's cries sounded further and further away. A rush of relief washed over them as they reached the doors of the pool. Alex pushed it open and saw it empty.

"Quick, Erica. Get the swimming ropes and lock this door. I'm going to check the locker room and back door," she ordered. Erica gave her a quick as Alex ran around through the locker rooms.

It was about as creepy as she could imagine walking through an abandoned and dark locker room could be. Alex was only used to being here when she was waiting for Scott and Stiles, and occasionally Isaac if he was heading home with them. The boys otherwise preferred her away from Jackson and half-naked hormonal teenage boys. Seeing the locker room this still made the fine hairs on her neck prickle.

Alex ran through the rows, checking for abandonment and something she could use to hold the doors for a little while until Derek and Scott found them. As she neared the end of the room, she found an idle broom by Coach Finstock's office.

_That should do it for now_, Alex thought, grabbing it and placing it strategically between the door handles. She looked up through the windows of the locker room door that led to the lacrosse field, and in the distant, she could make out a figure walking right towards the doors. It was a faint description but as he neared, Alex could see the sickening smile plastered on his face as he drew closer.

Gerard.

Alex's first instinct was to scream loud enough for someone to hear her, but now was not a great time for another panic attack to settle with her. Jackson could just as easily find her as any of the pack members, and perhaps faster too as Gerard was looking directly at her at this point.

He was a mere ten feet from the door at most and continued walking until he was face to face with Alex, the thick doors of the locker room being their only barrier.

"Open the doors, sweetheart, and I promise to make your death quick and painless," he said. Alex shook her head frantically and backed away slowly, her body acting in shock and fear as it had done earlier. It was when she heard the pounding on the door that she felt control over herself.

"Open this damn door!" Gerard shouted as he beat and tugged on the handles outside.

"Go to hell," Alex spat, turning around and making a fast run through the room and to the remaining entrance of the pool.

She rounded the corner and collided with another body. All promises of maintaining a composed and scream-free demeanor were forgotten as an ear-piercing cry fell from her mouth. A large hand clamped over her face and she heard a familiar voice hiss at her.

"Christ, are you trying to wake the dead?" Scott scratched his ear with his free hand. A wave of relief washed over Alex when she met her brother's eyes and she threw herself at him. He returned her embrace and held onto her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Alex said, patting his face and body to make sure he was still in one piece, the. Added light-heartedly, "I don't know how I'd explain to mom how you were found dead." She buried her face in his shoulder as he settled her down on the ground.

"I'm not the one everyone is worried about being hurt. Why are you here by yourself?" Scott scolded, tugging Alex's arm down the hall.

"I'm with Erica," Alex explained.

"Then where is Erica?" Scott asked.

"She's locking the pool doors," Alex answered, trying to keep up with her brother's pace. "She should be done by now."

Scott came to a sudden halt. "Do we have more than one pool?"

"No. You've been here since freshman year and you don't know that we only have that pool?" Alex rolled her eyes.

"Oh, then please explain how I walked right through those doors that Erica supposedly locked."

Scott and Alex exchanged looks and ran towards the pool where they found no traces of Erica.

"Erica?" Alex scoped around the room while Scott tried to sniff her out.

"Does this look familiar to you?" Scott called from the back doorway, holding up a worn leather jacket.

"That's Erica's!" Alex followed in the direction of the back door, rushing past Scott.

"No, Alex. Stop. I'm getting you out of here," he said, gripping her by the wrist and dragging her in the opposite direction.

"We can't leave Erica alone. Let me go!" Alex struggled to get out of his grasp but Scott was too strong.

"You're coming with me," Scott told her. He felt a sharp sting on his hand and pulled back to nurse it. "Did you really just bite me?"

"We're finding Erica and I'm not leaving until everyone is safe," Alex demanded. She wasn't about to have anyone's life on hold for hers.

"Alex..." Scott started, eyes growing wide.

"Don't 'Alex' me. We can't risk anyone's life so I can get home safely."

"Alex!" Scott hissed, gaze trained behind her as he pulled her close. Alex turned to see his line of sight.

In the shadows of the locker room hallway, a scaled-skin creature was crawling on the floor, yellow slit eyes focused on them intently and sharp teeth baring from its mouth.

"Listen to me," Scott whispered, taking a couple of steps back and pushing Alex behind him. "I want you to run as fast as you can to the library. Boyd and Isaac are there with Derek." He took a deep breath and stopped his steps. The Kanima was out of the shadows and hanging on the edge of the pool. Alex could hear her and Scott's shallow breathing in the quiet perimeters of the large room. "Alex, did you hear me?" Alex nodded her head, though Scott was unable to see it. She gave his hand a tight squeeze and she heard his sigh of relief. "On the count of three, run...one...two...three!"

Alex broke free from Scott and ran towards the doors. She didn't wan to look behind her but she could hear the Kanima crying after her, until Scott howled and diverted its attention.

She had to run and get Derek fast. Scott could only hold the Kanima for another couple of minutes.

Alex was stopped in her tracks in frog of the door by Scott's painful howl. She saw the Kanima hovering over Scott, who was paralyzed on the floor, face contorted in uncomfortable pain.

The Kanima crawled down to lick a sliver of Scott's neck and before an idea could be processed in her mind, Alex cautiously walked towards them. The Kanima's eyes snapped up to her and Scott yelled, "Get out of here and find Derek!"

But she had absolutely no intention of leaving Scott by himself and defenseless.

"Come here, you ugly bastard," Alex called, taking wary side steps around the edges of the room in hopes of luring the Kanima away from Scott.

"Alex, what is wrong with you?" Scott barked, his face showing the anger his immobile body couldn't.

Ignoring his words, Alex continued baiting. "I'm easier to catch so stop wasting time." She was taking a page out of the less-than-reliable Derek Hale handbook—attack now, think later. She just needed Scott safe, but as the Kanima crawled towards her, she realized that Derek deserved more credit than what she gave him because getting into life and death situations without a plan was not an easy thing to manage.

"Alex!" Scott shouted, sounding distant as she felt the wall behind her.

She found herself cornered and staring straight into the eyes of the Kanima. It stood straight and looked down at her, the height difference matching hers and Jackson's perfectly. Even now, peering into devious eyes, she could see Jackson crying for help, struggling for control over his body though he wouldn't remember any of this the next day. He was the boy she grew up with, side by side through Kindergarten and middle school; they were expected to graduate together, and Jackson hasn't always been the nicest person, but he was just as needed as the rest of them.

The Kanima raised his clawed hands to her face, its expression almost softening as though it recognized her. But in an instant, it was gone and its face had hardened as it released a shrill sound, turning back into a monster controlled by the mind of Gerard Argent who was no less evil than the devil himself.

Before Alex could react or run, the Kanima tightened his grip around her neck and lifted her against the wall. Oxygen quickly left her lungs.

"This—this doesn't ma-make you stronger," she gasped, feeling her head loll forward and vision grow dark.

It seemed like a never-ending descent to death, to see the room and faces fade around her as she struggled for air. If she could wish for anything right now, it wouldn't be to fall free from the Kanima. It would be for someone to find Scott and Erica and haul them out of the school before they were forced into the same situation.

There were murmurs and shouting, and the next thing Alex knew, she was laying on the ground, head hitting the cement with a hard thud and eyes shutting as feet shuffled around her.

* * *

"She's never leaving this house again."

"Yeah, good luck selling that idea to her, Derek."

Alex didn't know where she was but the sound of hushed voices stirred her awake. Everything hurt; her head was throbbing with unbearable pain, her body was sore beyond reason, and breathing had never been so agonizing. She blinked into darkness, eyes barely recognizing the two figures hovering over her.

Derek and Scott.

"Oh, thank God you're awake," Scott beamed, his smile still apparent under the moonlight.

Alex tried to sit up, but _fuck_ it hurt. She collapsed back onto the bed—wait, bed. When had she gotten in bed? She glanced around the room, her eyes adjusting to the night quickly. Nothing about it was _her _room, not the closet, not the decorations (or lack thereof), and definitely not the bed.

"What's happening?" she asked worriedly, voice thick with sleep and hoarse to her ears.

"You took a bad fall after Jackson had dropped you," Scott said guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck and reaching over the bedside to turn the light on. Seeing his sister in her condition made his heart ache. She was doing it to save him because he wasn't able to save them. If it weren't for Derek and the pack showing up when they had, Scott couldn't guarantee that either one of them would be at the Hale Manor right now. "You're in Derek's room."

Alex tried to ignore the heated flare in the pit of her stomach knowing she was tucked into Derek's bed. "And Erica—?" she nearly choked out. She tried to sit up again, but her body was defeated, and her head was pounding. Scott gently pushed her back down, wincing at her obvious pain.

"She's fine. She went looking for something sturdier than the pool ropes to hold the door when she ran into Isaac," he explained.

"Which was a stupid stupid _stupid_ decision on her part," Derek growled, reminding Alex of his presence. "I clearly told her to not let you out of her sight."

"I don't need body guards looking after me," Alex said, rolling her eyes with the little energy she had left. Her stomach growled unpleasantly.

"You must be hungry. I don't think you've eaten since lunch at school." Scott sat on the edge of the bed, cradling her hand.

"What time is it now?" Alex yawned.

"Three…am," Scott answered hesitantly.

Her eyes snapped open and she groaned. "I've been out for eleven hours? The fall couldn't have been that bad." Alex brought her hand to her head to massage it; the throbbing was becoming incredibly irate for her, but her fingers rubbed over a thick bandage. She traced its length until she felt a damp area on the side of her head. She brought it to her face, inspecting the crimson colored tips.

"That's going to need a change," Derek said, walking to the other side of the room and picking up bandage cloth and a bottle of pills. He opened the bottle and placed two pills in her hand. "Here, it'll alleviate the pain. Water is right beside you."

"I should get your food and call Stiles to let him know you're okay," Scott told her, leaning over to place a kiss on her cheek before getting up.

Silence passed between Derek and Alex as they watched Scott close the door behind him. It was Derek who surprisingly spoke first.

"I have to replace that," he said, pointing to her head. "Blood is leaking through it." She nodded quietly, trying her best to pull herself up. With Derek's arm holding hers, it was much easier to sit straight. The bed dipped as Derek sat on its edge, facing Alex with a look she could only mistake for remorse, which couldn't understand why because it wasn't his fault.

Maybe other than the fact that he was clearly a bad influence on her ability to think rationally as a normal human being when challenging the Kanima. But he didn't need to know that. Really.

"Don't look so pitiful," she sighed, leaning forward a little to let his hands unwrap the current bandage.

More silence passed and Alex thought he would stay quiet, until he muttered, "You shouldn't have been alone." He was avoiding her eyes, afraid that she might see he was genuinely disappointed in himself for leaving her at the hands of anyone except himself.

"Be careful, Derek. People might get the wrong impression and think you care," Alex teased.

"Shut up," he grumbled, carefully wrapping the new cloth tightly around her head. Derek _might_ have cared, and he _may_ have been pissed about the entire situation until only a few minutes ago when Alex woke up finally. He had been pacing in and out of the room, hoping he could hear her stirring from her deep slumber.

Derek wasn't sure if it was only the guilt that had him worried. He was the Alpha; he was _their_ Alpha and he was responsible for all of them, Alex and Stiles included. They pledged to him as much as his Betas did, and frustration wasn't quite the word to express exactly how he was feeling.

"I just need you alive so you can keep us out of trouble," he said seriously, but he earned a chuckle from her instead. "I'll be downstairs. If you need anything, call Scott." He didn't miss the drop in her heartbeat, the disappointment she felt that he wasn't offering his help. But it was better than way, to leave her without any expectations of him. While he did feel terrible, Derek wanted to keep his distance from her, just enough so that he could watch her but far enough so their 'relationship' expanded on nothing more than mutual respect and tolerance. Derek was even willing to blur that line a little bit because, he noted with a small smile, riling her up was fun.

Alex frowned as Derek left, not even sparing a look at her or giving her a goodnight. Minutes later, Scott entered the room with a tray of light food. And some time later, Alex felt herself falling back asleep, stomach full and head throbbing less, though still painful.

Sleeping that night was different, better. She couldn't explain the feeling of security that overwhelmed her through her hours of sleep, like someone was watching and protecting her—a feeling she was sure Allison felt nightly with Scott spending the night on her roof top. And when Alex awoke the next morning, there was a faint musky smell lingering in the air that could only be identified with one particular person—Derek.


End file.
